Gavin DeGraw feeling "Sweeter" after attack

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Getting beaten up is never a good thing, unless maybe you're Gavin DeGraw. In which case, it could even make life "Sweeter."

The U.S. singer-songwriter isn't bitter about being thrashed by a group of men in New York and hospitalized for days in August, a month before his new album was released, telling Reuters it was, in the end, the "best case scenario."

The pop and rock singer spoke about the late-night attack, which made worldwide headlines only weeks before his fourth studio album, "Sweeter" featuring the single "Not Over You," was released on Tuesday.

Before the attack, DeGraw was best known for the 2004 single "I Don't Want To Be" which broke onto top 40 charts in Britain, Australia and The Netherlands, peaked at No. 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was widely covered by contestants in TV shows such as "American Idol."

But in early August, while on tour as a supporting act for rock bands Maroon 5 and Train, he reported being attacked by three men and then hit by a taxi cab, causing a concussion, a broken nose, canceled concerts -- and wider media attention than ever before.

"It's funny enough, right?" DeGraw told Reuters on Tuesday about his twist of fate while pointing out some scars. "I guess the best case scenario would be that it (the attack) can be diverted to the positive ... Fortunately I was able to escape with a minimal amount of injuries."

He downplayed his pain and suffering as minimal, compared to what some professional athletes go through.

"I just wish I had on a helmet at the time," he said, adding "it's really not so so terrible. If you can find a way to divert the energy to the positive, then it's the best case scenario."
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